The Great God – Zeus from Brookes and Gatehouse

by John Curnow on 23 Nov 2010 At some point in boat ownership, virtually everyone has had to work his or her way through one device not talking with another. When trying to get the information feed from one instrument displayed elsewhere, it has often proven very difficult, at best. Additionally, there are lots of connectors to fail and good old-fashioned water to get into any place it can find.

Brookes and Gatehouse (B&G) are renowned world leaders in the development of advanced instrumentation and autopilot systems for cruising and racing yachts, so it is little wonder that their new Zeus Multi-Function Displays (MFDs) go a long way to resolving these issues. So when you’re looking at Zeus, it is a case of focusing on what it can do and how that will apply to a wide range of sailing boat owners.

You’ll note though, that it is not about seeing what Zeus won’t do, because it is not intended to be high-end routing software. That is the domain of others. For sure it uses some of the same inputs, but it does not utilise the precipitation components of the models you are importing, for instance. However, no matter whether you’re a racer, cruiser/racer or dedicated, full-time cruiser, there are many things that are genuinely compelling about B&G’s Zeus.

Zeus’ creation stems from the Holy Grail of True Wind Speed, True Wind Angle and True Wind Direction. To do this, it takes all the information from the H3000 instrument suite, along with various other external inputs. The real advances are that it also combines chart, instruments, weather, certain sail navigation, radar, autopilot, AIS (Automated Identification System), sonar and digital dvi output, along with AM/FM Tuner and iPod/iPhone and two camera inputs.

Whether you have all of these or not, there are inherent features and associated benefits from the MFDs. As low-heat, backlit LED (Light Emitting Diode) panels, they are extremely bright for external use and as Zeus is fully encased and therefore waterproof, this is going to be very, very handy. Zeus also features a low power draw. On the day of our test, the Z12 was running at around 2 amps from its 12V source. It goes up to about 2.3 amps on maximum brightness, but then also drops to just one amp when the screen is on standby and only the 1.8GHz processor is running.

USB (Universal Serial Bus) and SD card (Secure Digital) ports are on Zeus’ front, along with the main controls. The Z8 and Z12’s roles as data bridges are evident. You can control so many things from the one point and as binnacles get replaced with helming consoles or pods, this is going to be even more important. You can calibrate your instruments from Zeus, review wind charts and lay lines, manipulate polars from the manufacturers data to actual or manual and tidal influence is also calculated for you, as you go.

Zeus’ main screen section is a multi-zone affair. Up to four sectors on display with the Z12. There is also a very customisable and rotating top bar for instrument readouts, where as your media requirements are done form media bar, which runs along the bottom of the screen. Your iPod or Tuner etc can be adjusted from the very control centre you use for all the other ship’s functions and by using the innovative C-Zone digital switching technology, you can control and monitor things like lights, bilge pumps, tank levels and I dare say anchor capstan, too.

The ease of use that has been spoken about a lot since the product's launch is very much true. During a recent run on the magnificent Sydney Harbour, I got to find out first-hand how intuitive it is. Wonderfully, you can begin accessing certain types of key information from the first push of the button. It is a case of Zeus effectively saying to you, ‘This is what this is or does. Do you want this information? Yes/No?’

This first-hand experience is where Zeus’ potential to span everything from full racer to complete cruiser became evident. Certainly Zeus’ sweet spot is as a Z12 on a racer/cruiser, acting as a helm console. For this purpose it really is absolutely destined for fame. However, its more accessible sailing navigation information will suit everything from racers to cruisers. As an example, consider your self in 50knots+, with a busy skipper and you need a quick take to see where the contour lines are or the variances in tacks/gybes will take you. It will be faster and more viewable on Zeus than most laptops. Similarly, not all boats have high-end with PCs onboard, so the type of information displayed by Zeus is just sensational.

Even if you are at the sharp end of the fleet, Zeus offers you a good balance between the two, with an imbedded, fixed, solid machine that is sunlight readable. That just has to be the best kind of backup there is. As mentioned, it is easier to drive and for delivery crews, where the main navigator has gone home with their skills or indeed the whole computer, then it would be marvellous. Just regarding the on-water test, the other element that really became clear, was just how clear the newer Graphical Function Displays are over their older cousins. A bonded glass screen with silicon gel, not only provides for longer life, but the vision and drivability of them, is, well, marvellous!

Naturally, there were some questions that had to be asked, so I checked with a company source that had a deep and inherent understanding of the systems contained inside Zeus. Firstly, will Navico make it available for Simrad NSE purchasers? Well, yes, that is a path that is certainly under review, as the company recognises the cousin that has given its heart to Zeus.

Secondly, why was there no inbuilt Wi-Fi and seeing as there is Ethernet connectivity already there, why not just get the GRIBs (Gridded Binary files), Chart updates etc straight on to Zeus from the boat’s own portal? It is well and truly possible, given the Linux based code inside and this will likely be a future enhancement. I suspect that seeing as the company knows each and every serial number out there for all of it’s equipment, that it is more about building a process that ensures proprietary value and security of data, which are crucial when your brand value is that of B&G’s.

Finally then, to the iPhone style App that will allow you to use the device to interact with a below-deck mounted Zeus, amongst other things. Well, that one may be a bit further off and the cost/benefit scenario is probably not clear enough yet, along with real issues of having others gain access to your code structures, if you do not go about building yourself.

So after all that and depending on where you are with your cost/benefit analysis, the Z8 at AU$5,995 and the Z12 at AU$8,195, will either seem prohibitive or essential. What you should do, however, is try it. It is very simple to use, which if nothing else means it will be one piece of equipment on your boat that you are bound to get significant benefit from.

See your local dealer or go to bandg.com for more details.